Politbarometer West 1999 (Cumulated Data Set)

The Politbarometer has been conducted since 1977 on an almost monthly basis by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen on behalf of the Second German Television (ZDF). Since 1990, this database has also been available for the new German states. The survey focuses on the opinions and attitudes of the voting-age population in the Federal Republic on current political issues, parties, politicians, and voting behavior. From 1990 to 1995 and from 1999 onward, the Politbarometer surveys were conducted separately both in the newly formed eastern and in the western German states (Politbarometer East and Politbarometer West). The separate monthly surveys of a year are integrated into a cumulative data set that includes all surveys of a year and all variables of the respective year. Starting in 2003, the Politbarometer short surveys, collected with varying frequency throughout the year, are integrated into the annual cumulation.<br>1. The following topics were posed identically at every survey time:
most important political problems of the Federal Republic;
intent to vote in the next Federal Parliament election;
behavior at the polls in the last Federal Parliament election;
sympathy scale for the SPD, CDU, CSU, FDP, the Greens and the PDS;
satisfaction with achievements of the Federal Government (scale);
sympathy scale for the big or the small partner in the government
as well as the small and big partner in the opposition;
party preference according to the rank order procedure and Sunday question;
sympathy scale for the top politicians of the parties;
judgement on the economic situation of the country and
one´s own economic situation;
expected economic situation for the country;
self-assessment on a left-right continuum.
2. In at least one or more survey months the following questions were posed:
coalition preference;
naming the five most important political personalities in the Federal Republic;
sympathy scale for the most important top politicians in the Federal Republic
as well as for Herbert Wehner and Franz-Josef Strauss;
approval for the resignation of Oskar Lafontaine;
attitude to Lafontaine´s criticism of participation in the Federal Government;
agreement with the criticism of the Federal Government and Gerhard Schroeder
made public in Lafontaine´s book;
Lafontaine´s criticism harmful to the SPD;
anticipated return of Lafontaine to politics;
judgement whether the SPD stands behind the policies of Gerhard Schroeder;
comparison of Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with Helmut Kohl;
comparison of current SPD-Greens Federal Government with
previous CDU/CSU-FDP Federal Government;
judgement on coalition loyalty of SPD as well as of Greens;
desired development direction of the SPD to the right or left;
desired distance of the SPD from the trade unions;
judgement on the ability of the Greens to assert themselves as well as
their reliability in the coalition;
assessment of the unity of SPD, CDU, CSU, FDP and the Greens in important
political questions;
expected influence of contributions on political decisions under Helmut Kohl;
assumption of the existence of inofficial bank accounts also for the SPD;
general satisfaction with democracy;
interest in politics;
the right people in leading positions;
judgement on the situation of the German economy;
approval of reunification in 1989 as well as currently;
perceived joy or concern over reunification;
expected job market situation in a year;
attitude to the new tax law for 630-Mark jobs and
contributions to social security and wage and inome tax;
personal impact of the 630-DM ruling;
attitude to social security contributions for the self-employed;
satisfaction with the condition of society in general and
in comparison with Western Europe;
expected economic situation in Germany and
personal economic situation in a year;
issue-ability of the parties in the areas of business, job creation,
finances, tax policy, foreigner policy and securing pensions;
expectations of tax reform;
expected personal effects of tax reform;
approval of an energy tax, inheritance tax and an assets tax;
assessment of personal financial situation in the future as a pensioner
in comparison with pensioners today;
judgement on the current social situation of pensioners and
assessment of the security of pensions in 20 years;
coupling pension increases with the rate of inflation;
attitude to private retirement provision for workers;
coupling wage increases with the rate of inflation and
expected effect on unemployment;
evaluation of the conclusion of wage negotiations in the metal industry;
judgement on the job of the Federal Government;
better government by the CDU/CSU;
FDP and Greens have become unnecessary;
judgement on the cost-cutting program of the government;
preferred chancellor candidate for the CDU/CSU;
attitude to the new beginning of the SED as PDS as well as
to the behavior of the other parties toward the PDS;
attitude to dual citizenship as well as to change in the citizenship law;
attitude to collection of signatures by the CDU/CSU against dual citizenship
as well as to the resulting charges of hostility to foreigners;
preferred type of punishment
for Kurds who commit a criminal offence at demonstrations;
preference for Federal President;
knowledge about the Federal President and evaluation of his work in general;
expected advantages and disadvantages for the country from membership in the EU;
judgement on the efforts to reduce the German EU contributions;
interest in European policies;
extent to which adequately informed about the EU;
attitude to a common currency in Europe;
expected personal advantages or disadvantages from the European currency;
advantageousness of new currency for Germany as well as long-term consequences;
importance of the topic Euro;
intent to participate in the European election;
party preference in the European election;
importance of decisions made in the municipal council,
state parliament, Federal Parliament as well as European Parlament;
attitude to armed military service for women;
attitude to the air attacks on Yugoslavia,
the recommendation of the Greens for interruption as well as
participation of Federal German Armed Forces;
assumption whether the air attacks alone are enough
that the demands of NATO will be fulfilled by Serbia;
approval for the deployment of ground troops in general as well as
German ground troops;
judgement on the possibility of Russian intervention as well as
a military threat against Germany;
perceived fear of war;
judgement on media presence in the Yugoslavia war;
agreement with participation of Federal German Armed Forces in Kosovo;
approval of financial participation of Germany in reconstruction in Kosovo
as well as in Serbia;
Milosevic before an international court;
attitude to the store closing law as well as to business on Sundays;
feeling of threat from crime (fear of victimization);
attitude to using or shutting down nuclear power plants;
retrospect on the year 1999;
prospect for the year 2000;
frequency of being struck by one´s parents during childhood;
attitude to physical punishment as child-raising method.
Demography:
sex;
age (classified);
marital status;
living together with a partner;
children present in household;
school degree (East or West);
number of children not yet going to school;
number of children under 13 years;
ages of children;
government examination or similar;
recognized degree;
completed occupational training;
employment;
assessment of risk to one´s own job;
occupation group;
household size and number of persons 18 years old or older;
head of household as well as his occupation group and employment;
union member in household;
religious denomination;
frequency of church attendance;
risk to job or unemployment of close persons;
party inclination and party identification.
Also encoded was:
day of survey;
state.